


meet me in the afterglow

by screaminghalfpastmidnight



Category: The Society (TV 2019)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Friends w benefits, One Night Stand, another tswift title im sorry, i cant stop writing for them!!, kind of, turned pregnancy!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-30
Updated: 2020-05-30
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:48:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24450859
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/screaminghalfpastmidnight/pseuds/screaminghalfpastmidnight
Summary: When they get back to his car, he doesn’t put it in drive. Instead, he sits facing Allie, head leaning against the back of his seat. Allie’s eyebrows have been knitted together since they first pulled up and she peers back at him, understanding why he’s not driving them away. He reaches over to grab her hand again, stroking his thumb over it as if he’s done it his entire life. “Are we doing this?” He whispers.She takes a minute before answering. “I think I want to. I’m scared but somehow I just... know.” She whispers back.“We’re a couple of fuck-ups, aren’t we?"He laughs, nodding. Allie opens her mouth, trying to think of the right words. “This kid is going to grow up with two parents that aren’t together and aren’t in love, so…”“We have to be the best fucking co-parents in the universe. We have to.” It’s like he read her mind. “You’re right, Allie. I mean, I’ve known you for years but I don’t really know you. We have to be present. I want us to be the type of parents that they look back on in their twenties and think about how lucky they were to be so loved. No matter what this is between us, it has to be good for our baby.”
Relationships: Harry Bingham/Allie Pressman
Comments: 14
Kudos: 72





	meet me in the afterglow

**Author's Note:**

> ** TRIGGER WARNINGS **  
> \- mentions of pregnancy complications including miscarriage although it is not described  
> \- mentions of suicide, yet again, is not described
> 
> title from "Afterglow" by Taylor Swift
> 
> I MIGHT be doing a second part?? like a sequel oneshot?? we'll see

For as long as she could remember, Allie had always had her life planned out. She was much like her sister in that way, controlled, collected, organized. Sure, that all went to shit after Cassandra died and her previous dreams of med school, partner, family had died with the realization that she’d genuinely reach a mental break if she watched people die the same way her sister did, but she found her way back soon enough. Once the excessive partying died down and she got a handle on her self-destructive tendencies, her plan was back in place. She went to Brown and got an English degree (it just felt right; Brown was Cassandra’s dream school), settled down in a small Portland apartment and divided her time between working at the bookstore and writing her own book, a satire about how fucked up her teen years were, dead sister and all. She was still young and so a partner wasn’t the first thing on her mind but she’d had her fair share of sexcapades that kept her entertained and nourished.

One of those being Harry Bingham.

They met through Grizz at the surprise birthday party thrown for Eden that all of Becca, Sam and Grizz’s friends attended. Allie was kept busy most of the night by her goddaughter but towards the end, Grizz had pulled her aside and introduced them. Truthfully, Allie thought he came off as kind of a dick but Grizz vouched for him and promised he was one of the best men he knew, so Allie gave him a shot. They’d never really had a romantic spark outside of their incessant flirting but that was just how they communicated. They didn’t actually sleep together until they’d known each other for a full year, even though they could barely classify as friends. Not much changed between them except that sometimes after big get-togethers at the Eliot-Vissor or the Gelb-Aldrich households, Allie would go home with Harry or he’d go home with her. That was all it was, though. 

Until Allie was banging on the door to his apartment at five in the morning with a positive pregnancy test in her purse, wrapped up in toilet paper.

When the door swings open, Harry rubbing sleep out of his eyes, he looks surprised to see her, which checks out considering she’s been to his place twice and never before eight pm. “Uh, hey. What are you doing here?”

He must see the desperate look in her eyes because he opens the door wide before she can answer and guides her inside, shutting the door behind her. “Are you alright? You don’t look so good.”

She’s about to sit down on his sofa but stops herself, turning around to face him and blurting out the words before she gets the chance to talk herself out of it. “I’m pregnant.”

He stares at her blankly for a moment and she speaks again. “It’s yours. I know that for sure.”

He goes to open his mouth a few times, a little sigh coming out at the end before he finally speaks. “I thought you weren’t supposed to-”

“Weren’t able to get pregnant? Yeah, me too.” She crosses her arms over herself as he walks over to her, taking the spot on the couch that she was originally going to sit on.

“Well, fuck.” She lets out a breath, the comment just so  _ Harry _ that it actually calms her down a little. She sits beside him, picking her nails. They’re silent for a while, Harry staring at the ceiling and sighing every few minutes. She waits until he speaks. “Sorry I’m not saying anything. I’m just…”

She nods curtly. “I get it. I think I went catatonic when I figured it out.”

He sighs again, shifting so that he’s sitting upright, mirroring her position as they both stare ahead at the wall. “So, you took a test?”

“Yeah. The line’s clear as day.” She pauses, waiting for him to speak but he doesn’t. “Fuck, right?”

He lets out a breathy laugh, though he sounds more terrified than anything. “Fuck.” He agrees. He puts his face in his hands, rubbing it and she thinks he might still be half-asleep. “Look, if my mother taught me anything… it’s your body. At the end of the day, it’s your decision.”

She frowns, turning to look at him for the first time. “Well, yeah. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t wanna know what you want.”

He nods slowly and bites his lip, contemplating what to say. “I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say.”

She can’t help the fact that her eyes get watery. Not only is this the last person she wants to be having this conversation with, but finding out what he wants from her (or doesn’t want) is the scariest thing she’s endured, including watching her sister collapse in the hallway of their high school. “Harry, you don’t owe me anything. I’m not gonna ask anything of you.”

He laughs, shaking his head, still staring straight ahead. “You may find this hard to believe, Pressman, but… I’ve never been sure of anything in my life except for the fact that I want to be a father someday.”

Now,  _ that’s _ surprising. Harry didn’t exactly strike her as the family-man type, partly because he rarely brings up his own and he’s possibly the least mature adult in their friendship circle. Though, she’s not exactly a family type of girl either, at least she didn’t expect to be for another ten years. “Huh.” She mumbles. “Who knew?”

He nods, a small smile playing on his lips. It makes her feel lighter. “Who knew.” He repeats. She takes a deep breath, leaning into him, making the bold decision to place her head on his shoulder without thinking too much about it. This is easily the most intimate they’ve ever been, which is sort of depressing considering they’ve literally had sex multiple times. “What do you want?” He says softly, as if afraid of the answer.

She takes a deep breath. “We don’t even know if I’ll be able to give birth. I wasn’t lying when I said I couldn’t have kids. I have to see a doctor, figure out what’s changed… see if endometriosis will be a problem. I could miscarry.”

They’d had a little chat the first night they slept together when Harry asked if she was on birth control. He didn’t know what endometriosis was, which she’d kind of expected, and so she explained that she personally couldn’t get pregnant and when they were lying in his bed afterwards, sweat-soaked and out of breath, he asked questions about it. That was the most they’d ever talked.

“I can go with you, if you want?” He says quietly and she feels his head shift to look at her. She looks into his eyes for a moment and nods, sending him a grateful smile.

He holds her hand in the car. And the waiting room. And the doctor’s office, as she explains that while rare, endometriosis can fade away with time and since Allie’s been on medication for a while, she probably just didn’t notice. He squeezes it when they’re told that it’s too early to tell if there will be any complications, but the doctor is optimistic. She squeezes back.

When they get back to his car, he doesn’t put it in drive. Instead, he sits facing Allie, head leaning against the back of his seat. Allie’s eyebrows have been knitted together since they first pulled up and she peers back at him, understanding why he’s not driving them away. He reaches over to grab her hand again, stroking his thumb over it as if he’s done it his entire life. “Are we doing this?” He whispers.

She takes a minute before answering. “I think I want to. I’m scared but somehow I just... _know_.” She whispers back. “We’re a couple of fuck-ups, aren’t we?”

He laughs, nodding. Allie opens her mouth, trying to think of the right words. “This kid is going to grow up with two parents that aren’t together and aren’t in love, so…”

“We have to be the best fucking co-parents in the universe. We  _ have _ to.” It’s like he read her mind. “You’re right, Allie. I mean, I’ve known you for years but I don’t  _ really _ know you. We have to be present. I want us to be the type of parents that they look back on in their twenties and think about how lucky they were to be so loved. No matter what this is between us, it has to be good for our baby.”

The words sound so weird on his lips.  _ They’re having a baby. Together. They’re parents. _ She smiles to herself. “Between us…” She repeats. “Is that your way of saying you like me?” 

His smile matches hers and he mumbles, “Shut up.” It’s more fond than anything.

“Look, we can try this. You and me, I mean. I’m sure I’ll know everything about you soon, so if we’re gonna go for it, that’s fine. But if it gets messy and we fuck it up, we’re just gonna have to deal with it.”

“Good plan.” He grins as she nods in agreement. They’re silent again until he starts giggling in his seat, staring at her. She raises her eyebrows, playfully asking him what is problem is. “It’s just… three weeks ago I was leaving your apartment and I was looking at the buzzer with your name on it and I realized that I don’t even know your middle name. And now…”

She laughs, shaking her head. “We’re so in over our heads.” She squeezes his hand, though. “It’s Kendall, by the way. After my Uncle Kenny.”

He hums. “Allison Kendall Pressman.”

“My full name’s not Allison. Just Allie. My parents were weird like that.” He grins wider at her, a knowing glance shared between the two of them. Conversation has always been easy between them. They’ll figure it out.

\--

They go their separate ways after that; Allie thinks he needs the time to process, she’d had a total of three hours before she went to his. She’s not sure sitting around alone in her apartment was a good idea, though. She tries to busy herself with laundry and dishes but just ends up spiralling on her sofa. She’s known she’s pregnant for less than twenty-four hours and not being able to drink wine is already proving to be a struggle. 

All she can think about is the What Ifs. She has no idea what Harry’s beliefs are or how he’ll want to raise their child. She knows he’s a rich white boy who was raised by an absent mother, went to Harvard Law and unironically wears boat shoes. If she’d never spoken to him before, she’d assume terrible things. Still, she has to figure out his political views. After the previous American shitshow, she has to be careful about what anyone’s going to be telling her kid.

She actually remembers him telling her once that she would’ve hated him in high school. She believes him.

Eventually, thinking about it all alone drives her nuts and she facetimes Elle, deciding that it’s within her right to at least tell one person outside of the father of her child. Besides, Elle can keep a secret. Elle’s face lights up as soon as she answers, clearly excited to see her.

“I was actually just thinking about you! Hey, Al.”

“Hi.”

Elle frowns. “Are you okay?”

Allie nods quickly, shifting in her seat. “I have some news, but you’re going to have to keep it a secret for a while.”

“Alright.” She smiles. “Lay it on me.”

“I’m pregnant.”

The smile is wiped off her face immediately, her mouth hanging open. “Oh… tell me what to feel. Are we excited? Do you need me to come see you?”

Allie shakes her head. “I think we’re excited. It’s really really early. I’m three weeks. I only told Harry this morning.”

“How’d he take it?”

“Um, I think he’s okay. We’re going to do this together, no matter what.”

Elle laughs lightly. “Wow. Look at that.”

“Yeah, I know. I didn’t expect it either, but it’s nice. I’m glad I won’t be alone.”

Elle frowns. “You wouldn’t have been alone anyway, babe.”

Allie smiles to herself just as her buzzer rings. “Someone’s here. Can I call you back?”

“Of course. Love you.”

“Love you.” She throws her phone on the sofa and makes her way to the door, pressing the button. “Who is it?”

“It’s me.” Harry’s voice is muffled by the speaker, but she can tell it’s him easily enough and tells him to come up. She waits by the door for him, peering through the peephole until she sees him come out of the elevator. She swings the door open and leans against the frame, crossing her arms. “Hey. Sorry, I was just freaking out at home about everything we have to do and we don’t have to talk about it tonight but…”

“No, I want to. I think we should figure everything out now so we’re prepared.” He nods. “Come in. Do you want a water or something?”

He follows her inside, making himself comfortable on the couch after kicking his shoes off. “Water’s fine.”

He doesn’t speak until she hands him a glass, sitting down next to him. He takes it gratefully, taking a sip before setting it down on the coffee table, wringing his hands together. “So, I’m not trying to move too fast or anything, but I want to be around in any way you’ll let me, and so I was thinking-”

“You should move in.” She cuts him off, not bothering to stop himself from laughing at his surprised expression. “I figured you’d say that. It makes the most sense. Plus, I’m not moving into your place, it’s way too big.”

He chuckles, nodding as if he knows that already, which he kind of does considering that’s the reason they have sex in her apartment. “And,” Allie adds, “If something happens, I don’t really want to be alone here.”

“Yeah.” He mumbles in understanding. “I wanna be here.” He assures her.

“I also don’t think we should tell anyone for a while. It’s still early and with complications and all that…”

He nods. “Yeah, that makes sense. Fuck, I just realized I’m going to have to tell my mom.”

Allie giggles. “Yeah. My parents will be pretty happy, I think. I told them I was never having kids when I was sixteen and I’m sure they thought their only chance for grandchildren was gone.”

Harry doesn’t bring up that their other chance had died with Allie’s sister. She’d mentioned a dead sister in passing once, as if it had meant nothing, like it was the most normal thing in the world. He’d asked Grizz about it later on and he’d explained that it annoys her when people dance around death. He said brutal honesty and dark humour was her way of coping. Harry didn’t mention anything that could lead to a discussion about it after that. 

Now, he just smiles and makes some comment about how his mother had given up on him a while ago and she mostly relied on his younger sister.

Later, they’re lying on Allie’s bed, both mutually deciding that Harry should just stay over (it’s not like they’re going to fuck, but they have so what does it matter if they sleep in the same bed and make breakfast together tomorrow and he moves in next week like they’re newlyweds or something?) and bouncing ideas off of one another, idle comments about what their child will be like.

“I want them to care about things. Real things. I want them to understand what they mean to the world and what privilege they’ll have.” Allie says passionately, gazing up at the ceiling as if she can see the stars through the roof.

“I want them to be exactly who they are. To not be afraid of being different or honest or flawed.” He pauses, his next second spoken so softly it’s almost a whisper. “I hope they don’t fuck up as much as I have.”

Allie frowns, snuggling in closer to him. “I hope they  _ do _ . Terrible, shitty mistakes are what make you complex.. and a  _ person _ . They make you decide who you’re gonna be. Who you  _ want _ to be.” She pauses, blinking a few times. “My sister taught me that. I just realized I’m having a fucking kid who’s never gonna get to meet her.”

Harry sighs, reaching for her hand. “My dad, too. I always thought he’d be around.”

Allie looks up at him and he meets her eyes, a shared pain moving between them. “What happened to him?” She says as gently as she can. He smiles weakly and turns back to face the ceiling.

“Killed himself. I was seventeen.”

“Fuck, Harry.”

“Yeah.” He pauses. “He was fucking amazing, though. I think he’s the reason I’ve always wanted to be a dad. He was just…  _ there _ . All the time. And he set the bar. I became kind of an asshole after he died but the man was a lawyer. He cared about people and the world, and he always taught me that we weren’t better than anyone else because we had money. I lost that, after he died because I was so angry at him for it but now, I’m just so fucking glad that he was who he was.”

Allie hums, squeezing his hand. Harry’s going to be a good dad, she can tell. He continues, voice raspy. “Then I think about my sister, you know? She was nine when he died, she can barely remember him, let alone all the lessons he taught us. All the important shit’s gone and she’s had to grow up with my mother. Can’t imagine it, she’s terrible. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back.”

“Well, you can just have my parents, then.” He laughs loudly at that. 

“I don’t think that’s how it works, Pressman.”

She grins, putting her other hand on their intertwined ones. “Once they meet you, they’ll never let go.”

They’ll love him. He’s a lot like Cassandra, she’s realizing.

\--

All of his shit ends up at her place a week later and she now shares a bed full-time and makes him coffee before he goes to work (she’s not doing the caffeine thing, just incase) and he makes the bed (which she hasn’t done since her parents forced her to at ten years old) before running out the door in his fits-a-little-too-perfectly suit. They spend their nights researching parenting techniques and baby brands and fantasizing about what their kid will be like, which they truly could go on forever about. He makes her dinner every night and she doesn’t even feel bad about it because cooking makes him unbelievably happy and a few months ago she could never have guessed that Harry Bingham had all the perfect traits for a house-husband. They’ve both agreed that their baby is gonna grow up to be a nerd because Allie’s book collection has now doubled and they’ve started filling up dresser drawers with the ones he’s brought that they can’t fit on the bookcase. Allie’s never been the cleanest and though she’s trying very hard so that Harry doesn’t think she’s a total slob, it comes so naturally to him that she just resorts to doing the groceries and keeping track of their appointments so that they don’t miss any (he’s always late, but he’s getting better with her).

They wait months before they tell their group of friends (and their parents) that she’s pregnant and they’re kind of together - kind of not and when they do, a fight breaks out between Becca and Grizz over who the godparents are and Allie almost burts into tears. Harry notices, rubbing her back and pulling her close to him, assuming it’s about the fact that Cassandra would’ve been godmother. She tells him later, as they’re lying in bed that their son is going to grow up so  _ so _ loved and he jolts.

“I know we said we were going to wait but the nurse called and told me by accident and I didn’t want to be the only one that knew.”

His eyes get all glossy and he tucks a strand of hair behind her ear, whispering softly as if in awe. “We’re having a son?”

She nods, planting a kiss on his lips for the first time since she showed up at his apartment at five in the morning and changed their lives forever. He kisses her back as if they’ve been kissing ever since.

\--

She’s staring out the kitchen window, hand resting on her mug of hot chocolate when he exits their bedroom, pulling his tie on and kissing her cheek as a thank you for the coffee. He finishes his tie off and takes a sip just as she speaks, voice a little haunted. “It’s ten years since Cassandra died next week.”

He pauses abruptly, placing his mug down on the counter, staring at her back. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.” She sounds more put together, but he’s still tense. “My parents are having a ten-year memorial thing. They want me to go back home for it.”

He’s curious as to why she’s only mentioning it now, but he doesn’t push. “Do you want me to come with you?”

She turns to look at him over her shoulder. “Yeah. Could you?”

He nods quickly, making his way over to her, hands running down her arms before he pulls her in, chin resting on the top of her head. “Of course.”

She’s silent for a minute, breathing him in, letting him hold her, swaying them softly. “I wish he could’ve met her.” She whispers, as if she’s scared to say it out loud.

“I know.” He runs a hand through her hair, pulling away and using his other one to cup her cheek. “But we’ll tell him everything, won’t we?”

She smiles and nods, leaning up to kiss him softly, smiling into it as she feels his hand moving to rest on her stomach, stroking his thumb over the material of her shirt as he kisses her, nudging their noses together. “Text me what days I need off work, okay?”

“Have a good day.”

\--

On the entire drive down to West Ham, he holds her hand. She’s the most anxious he’s ever seen her and he’s more than surprised that the roles aren’t reversed, but she’s clinging onto him like he’ll disappear and it’s scaring the shit out of him, so he just squeezes back, bringing her hand up to his mouth to kiss it every once in a while. It’s pouring down by the time they arrive and Gordie’s waiting for them on the porch, ready to take their bags.

She knows he’s been taking care of her parents for years now, pretty much ever since Cassandra was pronounced dead in the ambulance. Unlike her, he stayed in West Ham and he’d check in on them and bring them groceries and have dinner with them on Sundays. She loves him for it, truly. It makes her feel guilty, despite the fact that sticking around as the daughter-that-lived was much more tragic.

She hugs him tightly, smiling as he kisses her on the cheek and then she and Harry run inside, Harry getting shut down immediately when he tries to argue with Gordie about who should take the bags. Her mother makes a fuss over them as soon as they get in and tosses blankets over their shoulders even though they were out in the rain for less than a minute, going on and on about how big Allie is and how close to meeting their grandson they are.

As expected, they fall in love with Harry pretty much immediately and treat him like their long lost son, which he doesn’t complain about, though he keeps a hand on Allie’s thigh under the table. Her mother makes some comment about all the movies they showed Cassandra as a baby to get her to shut up and most of the room goes quiet, Gordie trying to bring the energy back by telling them who had all RSVP’d for the remembrance. 

Later, when they’re squeezed onto Allie’s childhood queen-sized mattress, he tells her that he wants to go see his mother. She squeezes his hand, turning the lights on so that they can talk. “Are you sure?”

“I think so. I still haven’t told her about the baby but being here with your family… I want our son to have as much love as he can get.” She nods, scratching his scalp the way she knows he likes. “I just… she’s gonna be so condescending about how none of this was planned and how I didn’t love you back then…”

They haven’t said it to each other now, but they know. Both of them could have guessed it’d end up this way. “So, why don’t you just tell her it was?”

“You mean, tell her we planned to have a baby before we were even together?” He jokes.

“No, I mean that you’ve known me for years, so why don’t we just… you know what? Why don’t we just go down to the West Ham courthouse tomorrow and get married?”

He narrows his eyes, trying to decice if that’s a joke or not, a smile spreading across his lips when he realizes she’s very much serious. He takes too long to answer because she looks up at him nervously, mumbling quickly, “I mean, you and me are forever, right?”

He grins widely, leaning down to kiss her square on the lips. “Yeah, forever and ever.” He shifts closer to her, both hands coming up to cup her face. “I can’t believe you just proposed to me without telling me you love me first.”

“Shut up.” She rolls her eyes. “You know I do.”

He chuckles, kissing her nose. “Yeah, I do. I love you so much, Pressman.”

“It’s Pressman-Bingham now, actually.”

“Oh god.” He groans. “Are we hyphenating? I’d seriously just rather take your last name.”

She bursts into giggles and he has to cover her mouth with his hand so they don’t wake up her parents. When morning comes, they sneak out of the house before anyone’s awake and drive to the nearest jewelry store, buying two matching rings before they pound on Gordie’s door, asking him to be their witness. They become Mr. and Mrs. Pressman at 10:32am the day before the ten year anniversary of Cassandra Pressman’s death and Allie thinks it’ll be slightly more bearable with him by her side. They sign the papers, share a quick peck and then go back to her parents’ place to sleep for the rest of the day. 

Her mom figures it out the next morning when she’s doing Allie’s hair and notices the ring, letting herself cry for the second time that day. She takes him to visit Cassandra’s grave with Gordie and when they return to her parents’ house, friends and family have already turned up. She hugs her old best friend Will and Cassandra’s friend Bean, Grizz and Sam drove down earlier in the day and Sam warns her of Becca’s wrath when she finds out they got married without her or Eden’s presence. She’s glad her cousins decided to keep Eden at home, she’s not sure she would’ve been able to handle the emotion of the day and keep a brave face on for her goddaughter.

Harry, as usual, holds her hand the whole time. People share stories of Cassandra and sing songs and some have even brought photos or objects to go along with them. Will reminds her of a time when they’d build forts in the living room and Allie has to excuse herself, somehow finding her way to Cassandra’s room, which has been left untouched. It used to annoy the shit out of her when she was a teenager; she wanted her parents to just fucking accept it and move on. Now, she makes her way around the room for the first time in ten years, pulling out old knick knacks and clothing items she remembers fondly. In the drawer of her nightstand, sits a diary.

She’s on the floor reading it when Harry knocks on the door, smiling cautiously, as if scared to interrupt something. She just smiles at him, motioning for him to come closer. He sits down behind her, resting his chin on her shoulder and peering down at the notebook in her hand. “This was Cassandra’s diary.” She mumbles. “There’s three pages of baby names in here.”

“Oh, yeah?” He kisses her collarbone quickly, reaching for the notebook.

“Yeah. She circled the ones she liked best.” She smiles to herself, leaning back against him as he reads. They’d played around with the idea of naming their son something to do with the name Cassandra, but nothing sounded good enough.

“Cassandra had good taste.” He says, after a while. “What’s your favourite?”

She grins, looking up at him. “Both of us point on three?”

“One… Two…”

_ Theodore _ . There’s an arrow beside it, leading to  _ Roosevelt: Eleanor _ . Allie grins, because  _ of course _ that’s why Cassandra chose it.

“Theodore Pressman.” Harry mumbles. “Sounds pretty perfect.”

Allie presses a kiss to his cheek, mumbling an  _ I love you _ into his skin and sticks close to him for the rest of the night, eager to listen to everyone’s most treasured Cassandra memories.

Harry grew up a couple towns over so it only takes a few hours to get to his mother’s house, though Allie still falls asleep in the car. He helps her out of the car when they arrive and doesn’t bother with their suitcases; they’ll probably be staying in the guest house. He didn’t tell them he was coming, so he has to shout around for either of his family members until Rosie, looking a hell of a lot older than the last time he saw her, comes bounding down the stairs.

“Hey! I didn’t know you were- Oh.” She looks Allie up and down, her grin replaced with a cautious and almost nervous smile. “Uh, hi.”

“Surprise!” Harry says, pulling her in for a hug. “Rosie, this is my wife, Allie. Allie, my sister.”

Rosie laughs nervously, sticking out a hand to shake Allie’s. “Hi! Lovely to meet you.” She turns to Harry, a confused look on her face as she lowers her voice, as if Allie’s not right in front of her. “Mom didn’t tell me you have a wife!”

Harry lets out a breath. “Yeah, I didn’t tell her.”

“Jesus christ. Good luck with that.” Rosie says between her teeth.

“Yeah.” He nods, turning to Allie. “You’re okay to stay down here while I look for my mom?”

She nods and he smiles warmly, kissing her temple, turning to Rosie again. “Don’t let her stand up for too long, alright?”

Allie snorts. “I’m not that pregnant.”

“Um, yeah. You are.” He looks at her pointedly before patting Rosie on the shoulder. “Seriously, she should be sitting already.”

He disappears upstairs and hopes to whoever’s out there that the situation isn’t as awkward as he thinks it’ll be, quickly finding his mom in her office. He knocks on the door and she glances up at him once, and then back down at her papers.

“Hi, sweetheart.” She says, as if this isn’t the first time she’s seen him in a year. “Didn’t know you were visiting.”

“Surprise.” He says, with no enthusiasm. He waits for her to finish what she’s doing and then she rises, pulling him into a hug that’s less than motherly and certainly nothing like the one he’d received from Amanda Pressman. “We need to talk, Mom.”

“Okay.” She sighs, leaning against her desk. “Financial trouble?”

He barely resists the urge to roll his eyes. “No. Actually, I came to let you know that my wife is pregnant.”

He can see the confusion and hurt flash through her eyes before she smooths them over, trying to remain seemingly unbothered. “I didn’t realize you were married. My invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.”

“Actually, we didn’t have a wedding. We just wanted to be married. And a ‘congratulations’ would be nice.” He frowns.

She sighs again, not taking her eyes off him. “So, I assume you’re here to involve your sister in your life.”

“Not just Rosie.” He can see the surprise in her expression before he continues. “We have our issues. Outside of that, I want my son to know his family. Both sides of it. If you want no part of it, that’s fine. I just need to know.”

She nods. “Did you bring her with you?”

“She’s downstairs.”

His mother smiles, pauses for a moment before standing up straight, walking towards him. “Let’s go then.”

It gets easier after that. His mother makes an effort and Rosie, while very angry with him for his distance, falls in love with Allie. They’re very similar; she reminds Allie of her younger self. She can sense a rebellious stage growing within her, and she hopes she’ll be around to see it. Harry’s mother suggests that once the baby is born, they should bring him to the beach house for a vacation. It’s a nice thought, though neither of them will be ready to have their child near open water anytime soon. Harry shows her around his hometown, rummages through old photos of his dad like she had done with Cassandra and they spend most of their time with Rosie, who resents having to go to school during the day instead of tagging along with her brother and sister-in-law. 

On the fifth night of their stay at the Bingham house, Allie wakes up at three in the morning, writhing in pain so bad, she can barely move her hand to shake Harry awake. He jolts up, checking her over and immediately brings her out to his car, driving them to the nearest hospital. He sits in the waiting room for an hour and has the heartbreaking realization that he could lose the both of them and suddenly has so much sympathy for his own parents, because he never knew he could feel fear so strong. His eyes are rimmed red when he’s allowed back into the examination room and Allie, though doped up on painkillers, reaches out to cup his face, rubbing under his eyes as he sighs, letting them slide shut and focusing on the cool metal of her wedding ring pressed against his cheek.

It’s just a scare. They’re not too far from their due date now and apparently this is common, but not anything to worry about. He stays at the hospital with her and barely sleeps at his mom’s the next night and so she ends up having to drive them most of the way back to Portland. He spends the next three nights staring at her, trying to will himself to sleep only for the fear of being woken up like that again to creep into his mind, keeping him wide awake. 

It gets better in time. Allie notices he’s not sleeping and lulls him to sleep with tv shows playing in the background. She sends him little messages throughout his workday so that he doesn’t freak out too much and once she’s on leave, she spends her days with Becca or Kelly or Elle or Helena. They throw her a surprise bridal/baby shower and Grizz, Sam and Luke sit around at their apartment and play FIFA while listening to his worries about being a parent. He’s lucky all three of his best friends already have kids, because he’s got a lot of information coming at him that he soaks up. After talking with them, he even tells Allie his fears. How he’s not sure he’ll be good enough, how he’s terrified of what their son will have to face in his life. She’s scared, too. There’s not much solace they can offer each other, but just saying it is enough.

Surprisingly, their son is born on time, relatively easily and Harry isn’t a raging mess the whole time. Her contractions are very light the day of (they actually weren’t; she just has a high pain tolerance) and they sign into the hospital not even sure she’s in labour. She is, though. Theodore James Pressman is born fourteen and a half hours later to a weeping father and a waiting room full of the people who’ve already loved him for months. Allie gazes up at him with wide eyes and a proud smile, tears filling her eyes to the brim and a tight grip clinging to her husband.

Up until the moment he’s born, Harry doesn’t let go of her hand.

**Author's Note:**

> title from "Afterglow" by Taylor Swift
> 
> leave a comment if you liked it and let me know if you'd be interested in a part two sequel sort of deal that would probably be from Harry's POV!!
> 
> thanks for reading :)


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